


A Magical Summer

by wolfworldstars



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alternate Universe - Summer Camp, Family, Friendship, Magic Trio (Hetalia), Nordics (Hetalia) - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-20
Updated: 2020-09-07
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:28:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,723
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26015773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wolfworldstars/pseuds/wolfworldstars
Summary: Nobody’s summer is going to plan.Vlad is delighted to go to summer camp with family friends, but one of them isn’t so friendly anymore. Meanwhile, Even is trying to cope with his first time away from home as his little brother is growing up and becoming ever more distant, and Arthur is rooming with his three worst enemies.Through the summer, the Magic Trio face struggles with family and friends, and learn the true meaning of the bonds between people.
Comments: 6
Kudos: 6





	1. Settling In (part 1)

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys!  
> This is my first multichapter fanfic on this account and I'm really excited about it!  
> It will mainly focus on the Magic Trio, as well as Romano, the Nordics and the Bad Friends Trio, and will mostly be from the perspectives of these characters. It's mostly about family and friendships, but I'll add in some ships along the way. I haven't decided which ones yet, hence why it's not tagged with any; I want to see where things go and figure out what works best in this au, when I add I ship I'll tag it accordingly. 
> 
> This is set in America, in 2014. 
> 
> Names: 
> 
> South Italy: Livio  
> North Italy: Feliciano  
> Romania: Vlad  
> Bulgaria: Viktor  
> Moldova: Alexandru (Dru)
> 
> Rome: Julius  
> Ancient Egypt: Berenice 
> 
> Norway: Even  
> Iceland: Óskar  
> Denmark: Magnus  
> Sweden: Sven  
> Finland: Aleksi 
> 
> Also, Nonno is the Italian word for Grandpa

** Livio  **

Livio truly didn’t think his day could get any worse. It was bad enough that his parents had sent him off to summer camp where he would supposedly “socialise” and “make friends”, two ideas that made him groan as he stared up at the wooden slats which supported the bunk above his own lumpy bed. Worse still, the camp was in the middle of the woods with no Wi-Fi, the only person he knew there being his annoying younger brother who was currently bouncing on the top bunk and making the whole bed frame shake.

Livio didn’t turn his head as the door of their log cabin burst open, but the voice that sang through the room was unmistakably familiar.

“Livio? Feliciano? Hey, looks like we’re roommates! This is so cool! Too bad Dru has to room with the other little kids, otherwise our whole family would be together!”

Vlad fucking Popescu. Without exception the most annoying human being on the planet. And they were sharing a room. For the entire summer. Great.

“For the last time, we are not related,” Livio groaned, pulling the measly excuse for a duvet over his shoulder as he rolled to pointedly face the wall.

To Livio’s abject horror, his brother called out to the newcomer. “Hey Vlad! Nice to see you!”

“Nice to see you too, Feli!” Vlad exclaimed, and Livio heard the springs of the bunk bed opposite twang as a bag was thrown onto the mattress. “Did you guys hear? They have a disco every weekend, I have an outfit prepared for each one.” At the sound of clothes being drawn from the bag, Livio pressed the blanket over his ear. He could _hear_ the sequins and tassels.

Thankfully, Livio was saved from any more of Vlad’s lecture about the joys of summer camp when the door opened.

“There’s my grandkids!”

Livio sat up instantly, taking a moment to rake his fingers through his hair so he’d at least look presentable. His Nonno was the camp director, but Livio hadn’t seen him since arriving; one of the camp counsellors, Berenice, had shown him and Feli in and told them that Julius was busy setting things up but he’d pop in and see them as soon as he had a spare moment.

“Grandpa!” Vlad exclaimed. 

Julius turned, slightly surprised by the voice beside him, but his eyes crinkled with a smile when he saw who was there. “Ah, Vlad. Good to see you again! How’s your mother?”

“She’s well,” Vlad said brightly. “Sends her love to all of you.”

“Oh, it’s been too long since I’ve seen you all. You’ll have to join us for Thanksgiving dinner. It’s a while off but I’ll arrange it with the family.” He turned in Livio’s direction, but his eyes barely skimmed over him. “Feliciano! Oh, look how you’ve grown!” Julius reached over Livio’s head to grab his youngest grandson’s hands as Feli stretched out to him. “Hey, hey. No hugs until you get down from there, mister. We don’t want you toppling off the bed now, do we?” As Feli scrambled down the ladder, Julius turned to Livio. “And Livio! Have you had a nap already, my boy?” he laughed, the sound filling the room as he ruffled Livio’s hair.

Livio opened his mouth to say something, but Feliciano had already thrown himself at their Nonno. For the first time that day, Livio willingly glanced at Vlad. He didn’t seem to bothered, and grinned at Feli and Julius as he took some fantasy novels from his bag. But why should Vlad care? Julius wasn’t his grandpa, after all.

Huffing, Livio stood up. “Hey, Nonno-”

The door creaked open again – Christ, that sound would be annoying all through the summer – and a dark-haired boy clutching a suitcase was ushered through.

“It’s just in here, Viktor,” Berenice said quickly as she followed him in. She looked rushed off her feet, a few strands of dark hair slipping out of the grip of her gold hair band, but she kept a calm smile in place. “Don’t worry, these are nice boys,” she continued to reassure Viktor’s apprehensive expression. “They’ll look after you, won’t you Livio?”

Livio shrugged.

Berenice brushed off his discouraging response and turned to the others, her face relaxing as she noticed the camp director. “Julius, there you are. Could you come and help out? Things are getting a little hectic with all the new campers arriving.” 

“Ah well, duty calls,” Julius shrugged as he pulled Feli into a quick hug. “I’ll see you boys at dinner. Try not to destroy the cabin while I’m gone.” He winked before dashing to follow Berenice out the door.

Livio watched him leave and sat down heavily on his bed. There went his chance to impress Nonno. As Vlad and Feli chatted away to their new roommate, who seemed a little overwhelmed by their enthusiasm – and who could blame him – Livio picked up his backpack. He’d packed his favourite books, and although reading couldn’t block out the incessant babble it would be a welcome distraction, but the first thing he noticed when he unzipped the bag was a neatly folded note with his name written on the front. Eyebrows knitting in confusion, he unfolded it.

_Livio,_

_Have fun at summer camp! And make sure you behave yourself for Nonno. Vlad is going to share a room with you and Feliciano, look after him or your aunt won’t be pleased._

_Love, Mamma xxxxx_

“She’s not my aunt,” Livio muttered to himself. It wasn’t that he didn’t like Vlad’s mom; she’d been his mamma’s best friend since long before Livio was born, and was close enough to the family that he wouldn’t even have minded calling her his aunt. The problem was that Vlad took it too seriously and insisted on acting as if he was really related to Livio – and worse, calling Julius his grandpa. Livio already had one relative to compete with for attention, he didn’t need another.

When Vlad finally finished bombarding poor Viktor with a tirade of questions, he turned to Livio. “This summer is going to be so much fun!” he exclaimed. “And the best part is, we get to spend the whole time together!!!”

“I’m ecstatic,” Livio said, his expression deadpan.

This was going to be the worst summer ever…

* * *

** Even **

Stepping out of the car into the fresh woodland air should have felt good after the long journey, but Even’s stomach was churning. Nine weeks. Nine weeks away from home, from his mom, his own bed, and familiar surroundings. The idea of summer camp hadn’t seemed so bad at first; his best friend Magnus had been raving about it for months, and when his little brother had expressed an interest in spending time with kids his age instead of being stuck at home all summer, Even had given in and agreed to go.

“Óskar, don’t forget Mr Puffin!” His mom called from the other side of the car, waving a plump, faded plush puffin in the air.

“I was just getting him,” Óskar grumbled as he snatched the toy from her. “Don’t wave him around like that, I don’t want everyone to think I’m a baby who still has a stuffed toy.” But he clasped the puffin against his chest, giving his wing a little stroke before stuffing him inside the bag.

She chuckled, ruffling his hair. “Of course, poppet. Even, are you ready?”

Even bit his lip as he looked back at his car seat. No, he hadn’t forgotten anything. Good. Right, this was it. Time to go venture into the unknown environment he’d spend the rest of the summer in. Taking a deep breath, he closed the door. “I’m ready.”

At one end of the dusty clearing of the car park, a large wooden archway loomed over a dirt path. The words ‘Welcome to Camp Rome’ were painted on it in fun, bright red letters, but to Even it looked as imposing as the gates of a prison. He for once welcomed the presence of his mom’s arm around his shoulder as he was shepherded towards the entrance. Averting his eyes from the archway and the blinding sunlight beyond it, he turned instead to his brother, who had mumbled something about their mom embarrassing him and ducked out from under her other arm.

“You have you inhaler?” He asked.

“Of course I do,” Óskar replied, rolling his eyes.

“And a sunhat? Your head burns easily.”

Óskar groaned. “Jeez, we already have a mom. I don’t need you to mother me as well.” But there was a hint of humour in his voice that Even doubted anyone else would have been able to recognise, and he met his brother’s eyes with a slight quirk of his eyebrow.

Even let out a small huff of air as he looked away, close to a laugh despite the anxiety constricting his chest.

They stepped through the archway into a field which was buzzing with activity. Some kids clung to their parents, while others did their best to make their goodbyes short and dash off to their cabins. Young adults in red T-shirts rushed around in a vain attempt to keep everything in order; Even assumed they were the camp counsellors. The field was encircled by twelve cabins, six each side of the entrance. The path bisected the circle, leading straight to a wide building much more substantial that any of the cabins, with large windows and two sets of double doors.

“Ah, newcomers! Welcome all!” A cheery voice boomed through the grounds, as a brown-haired man approached them with an exuberant smile on his face. He brandished a clipboard and pen, looking from it to the trio expectantly. “I’m Julius, the camp director. How many of you are staying with us?”

“Both of them,” Even’s mom said, inclining her head towards each of her children as she introduced them. “Even and Óskar Myhre.”

Julius traced his pen down the list, mumbling, “Myhre… Myhre… Ah, here we are! Right then, Óskar, you young man are in cabin 1, right over there by the dining hall,” he announced, inclining his head towards one of the cabins next to the large building. “And Even, you’re in cabin 6. You two can go and unpack, but don’t forget dinner is in an hour!” 

Óskar nodded, turning on his heel quickly. “Right, I’ll see you later.”

Before he could leave, his mom caught him with one arm and kissed his cheek. “Have fun, baby. And stay safe.”

Óskar turned back to her for a moment, his face slightly twisted in an attempt to look annoyed and hide his slightly trembling jaw. “I will.” He leaned into the hug for a moment, then smiled briefly at his mom before hurrying off to his cabin.

As Óskar left, Even looked down at his hands. “We’re in different cabins?” His voice was small.

“You’ll be fine, Even.” His mom offered a kind smile as she placed her hands on his shoulders. “Middle schoolers are in separate cabins to high schoolers here. And honestly, I think it’ll be good for the two of you to each spend some time with people your own age, you’re quite reliant on each other.”

Even didn’t know how to respond, he just worked to force back the lump in his throat. Through all of this, spending the summer far from home surrounded by strangers, he’d thought his brother would be by his side the whole time. “Can’t we just stay at home?”

His mom sighed. “It’s too far, honey. I couldn’t drive you here every day, and I have to work,” she said, then her face brightened into an encouraging smile. “I’ve spoken to Magnus’ parents, you’ll be rooming with him and his cousin.”

“That’s supposed to make me feel better?” Even asked, a slight smirk managing to creep onto his face despite everything. In truth, his shoulders relaxed at little at that. Seeing a familiar face would be comforting, even if that familiar face was accompanied by a loud voice and endearingly obnoxious attitude.

His mom chuckled softly. “He’s your best friend, I know you’ll be happy to see him really.” She tucked her hair behind one ear, a nervous habit Even realised he shared. With a small smile, she took a post-it note from her pocket and handed it to him. “Anyway, here’s the home phone number and my mobile number, I know you already know them but this is just in case. Call me if you need anything. And if you want to come home at any point, I’ll come and pick you up. Just… give it a try, okay?” She smiled as she stroked his cheek, her eyes glistening. 

Even nodded.

Her face broke into a relieved smile as she hoisted her handbag back onto her shoulder. She placed a light kiss on Even’s temple, and stroked his fringe one final time before turning away to leave.

“Right then, let’s get you settled in.” Julius gestured towards one of the cabins, drawing Even’s attention away from the retreating figure of his mom. “Cabin 6 is over there, the others have already arrived-”

He was interrupted by the sound of a door slamming. Even winced, and turned to see a boy about his age storming towards them, his thick eyebrows crossed in fury. “No, no, no, no! Nope, nope! Absolutely not! This is not happening!”

Julius raised an eyebrow slightly; the worn expression of someone who had dealt with this kind of thing countless times before.

“I am not sharing with those three!” The boy pointed vehemently to a cabin behind him, where someone with long blond hair leaned his forearms on the railing, a smug expression painted on his face.

“Even, why don’t you run along to your cabin while I sort this out.” Julius said.

Even mumbled a thank-you that he doubted Julius heard, and headed towards his cabin before he could get caught in the middle of whatever was going on.

Cabin 6 was situated next to the entrance, the other side of the path from the cabin the boy had just stormed out of. There were now three people on the porch, but he barely glanced at them, keeping his gaze on the ground in front of him. He was certain their raucous laughter wasn’t at his expense, but it made him feel uneasy anyway, and he quickened his pace so much that he almost tripped on the steps of his own cabin. Reluctantly, he raised his head to see the brightly painted wooden number six on the door. There was a window above it but curtains were drawn across it, probably to keep out the baking hot sunlight which directly hit the front of the cabin. Taking a deep breath, he pushed the door open. 

His eyes took a moment to adjust to the dimness in of the cabin. The only sunlight came from a small window opposite him, between two bunk beds. Magnus sat on one, his back to the door as he loudly talked to the other two people in the room. Though the others looked up as the door opened, Magnus didn’t seem to notice. Even put a finger to his lips as he padded across the room and, rather than announce his presence, poked Magnus’ cheek.

Magnus immediately stopped talking, a grin on his face as he turned around. He stood up so quickly he narrowly missed banging his head on the top bunk, his spiky hair brushing against the frame. “Even! I’m so glad you’re here, I’ve been waiting forever!!” He squealed, throwing his arms around his friend.

“Get off,” Even mumbled, but he relaxed into the warm embrace. He closed his eyes for a few seconds as his shaky breathing began to calm down.

Magnus rubbed his shoulders gently, and when he pulled away mumbled, “you ok?”

Even nodded, forcing a strained smile as he turned his attention to the other two people. A blond boy with glasses who looked eerily similar to Magnus was standing, while another boy wearing a garish purple and blue striped sweater sat on the bed opposite where Magnus had been sitting.

“This is my cousin, Sven.” Magnus pointed to the former. “Sven, this is my best friend in the whole world, Even.”

Sven regarded Even briefly with a nod, his shoulders shifting uncomfortably. Despite the heat, he wore a long, shapeless blue coat buttoned up to his chin. Even had met a few of Magnus’ cousins at parties when they were very young, but if he’d seen Sven before he didn’t remember.

The other boy had a much friendlier demeanour and waved at Even with one hand. He seemed to be wearing a blue glove on the other, but it was difficult to discern from across the room. “Hey, I’m Aleksi! I just got here from Finland! You must be Even, Magnus hasn’t stopped talking about you since I got here.” His brown eyes twinkled. 

“Well…” Magnus scratched the back of his head. “I didn’t go on about him _that_ much. Anyway,” he cleared his throat. “We’ve got this bunk bed, I figured you’d want to share with me. You can have the top bunk because I’m feeling kind,” he gestured to the bed he'd been sitting on, where a suitcase appeared to have exploded on the bottom bunk.

“Of course,” Even nodded wryly. “Because you’re in such a charitable mood and not at all afraid of heights.”

“I’m not!” Magnus protested.

“Mhm, sure.” There was a glint in Even’s eye. “You know what? I’m feeling nice. Why don’t you take the top bunk?” He raised one eyebrow in a daring manner as he inclined his head towards the ladder.

Magnus looked around desperately until his eyes landed on his own bed. “Because… because I’ve already put my stuff down there. See?” He pointed at the suitcase. “And I already allocated our bunks, no take-backsies.” He folded his arms definitively.

Even looked at him levelly for a long moment. “Fine. I suppose, seeing as you’re _so brave_ , you’ll be looking forward to the climbing wall.”

Magnus’ face went through several expressions in the space of a second, but he folded his arms in a pose that exuded confidence. “Of course! Climbing walls, love them. Totally. Absolutely. With all their… climbing and… height…” He gulped. “I’ll climb all the way to the top, just you watch!”

Even’s lips curved into a rare smile. “Oh, I will…”

As he turned around, he caught Sven’s eye and noticed that the taller boy matched his smirk. Of course, perhaps one good thing about this summer would be meeting someone else who’d had to put up with Magnus’ antics all their life.

He dumped his bag at the end of the bunk bed, and leaned against the ladder next to Magnus as his friend sat down and continued a story about a time he’d tamed a wild boar. Even knew he was really talking about the time they’d been to a petting zoo for his birthday and Magnus had helped to feed the pigs, but he didn’t bother to interject. Sven looked sceptical as he eyed Magnus with an expression of vague disinterest, only moving to push his glasses further up his nose. Aleksi, on the other hand, was fully taking in every word Magnus said, nodding along with an awed expression.

“That was so brave of you!” Aleksi exclaimed, clasping his hands together, and Even noticed that what he’d thought was a glove was actually a prosthetic hand.

“Well, it was a challenge, but eventually I tamed the beast,” Magnus finished, bowing slightly as if he expected a round of applause.

Even sighed as he sat down on the bed next to Magnus, shaking his head slightly. He had to admit that the Dane’s familiar chaotic energy added some warmth to the place. At least he knew his roommates now, so that was one element of uncertainty cleared up, he thought as his head began to droop towards his friend’s shoulder.

Perhaps this summer wouldn’t be so bad after all…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is the first chapter, I hope you guys enjoyed it! We've now been introduced to two of the main storylines (with a little hint at the third).  
> Disclaimers  
> About Aleksi: I want to include the popular headcanon that Finland lost one arm, (as an autistic person representation of disabled people in fiction is important to me) but I should mention that I'm not physically disabled, so while I'm doing a lot of research into limb difference, amputation and prosthetics to try and make this portrayal as accurate and respectful as possible, I can't expect to get everything right, so if I do slip up at any point don't hesitate to tell me.  
> About languages: Most of this fanfic will be in English, that's the only language I'm fluent in. When I use any words from other languages, I will be mostly relying on Google. Again, if I get anything wrong, don't hesitate to tell me.  
> About race: For context, I'm white and British. There will be characters of colour in this story, and I will try not to portray anyone in an offensive manner, but I'm aware that I could unintentionally perpetuate harmful stereotypes. If this happens please tell me so I can correct it.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading!


	2. Settling in (part 2)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hong Kong: Leon  
> Latvia: Andris  
> Moldova: Alexandru (Dru)

It was only when Óskar stood on the porch of the cabin he wouldn’t be sharing with his brother that a sense of loneliness started to settle in. Every time he’d been away from home, he’d been with his family, and had never roomed with anyone he didn’t know. He'd never had many friends at school, most people there thought he was too old-fashioned, not cool enough. He could never keep up with the memes or trends, and unfortunately there was no group of outcasts who banded together at his school; everyone else seemed to get along and he was just left on the side-lines. He mostly hung out with his brother’s friends, but while they were nice they were all older than him and he didn’t feel like he really fitted in. He wanted his own group of friends who he could truly feel like he belonged with, and perhaps this summer could be his chance to find that. He nodded silently to himself, a small but confident smirk creeping onto his face. Yes, this would be it, he decided as he turned the door handle.

  
“Ayy, there he is!” The shout greeted Óskar as soon as he entered, causing his step to falter. From the tone of the exclamation, he would have thought the speaker recognised him, but the boy who lay against a duffel bag on the lower bunk of one bed didn’t look familiar at all. He seemed to be about Óskar’s age, a slightly bored expression on his face as music blared from the chunky headphones slung around his neck. “The mysterious fourth roommate,” he sat forward, his eyes sparkling with interest as his fringe flopped over his forehead. “I’m Leon, this is Andris-” He gestured to a blond boy sat at the top of the ladder of the opposite bunk bed, who offered a shy little wave. 

  
“And Dru!” A smaller boy interjected, bouncing on the lower bunk of Andris’ bed. Dru barely looked old enough to be in sixth grade, the youngest that anyone was allowed into the camp. It was slightly unfair, Óskar thought, that he had to stay in the middle school cabins when he’d be going to high school in September.

  
After a small nod to the other two, Óskar turned his attention back to Leon. “H-hi.” He cleared his throat, gripping the zipper of his jacket tightly as he felt all eyes in the room on him. “I’m Óskar.”

  
“You can like, come in, you know,” Leon said with a small smirk. There was nothing malicious about his tone, but Óskar almost cringed away; he hadn’t realised he was still dithering in the doorway. “Anyway, I wasn’t sure if there’d be anything edible here, so I snuck some stuff in,” Leon said, rooting around in a plastic bag beside him. Óskar wandered over to him and saw that it was filled with sweets and soft drinks. “Anyone want one?” Leon asked, pulling out a few bottles of Coca-Cola.

  
“Yeah, I guess,” Andris said, turning to climb down the ladder.

  
Óskar hesitated, staying still as Andris collected his drink, but when Leon turned to him he nodded mutely. Although he didn’t particularly like fizzy drinks, it would have been rude to refuse.

  
“Can I have one?” Dru asked, rushing across the room.

  
Leon held a bottle out of his reach with a smirk. “Are babies allowed caffeine?”

  
“I’m not a baby, now give me my bottle!” Dru folded his arms, standing on his tip-toes to make himself look taller.

  
“Yeah, of course,” Leon relented. He passed the bottle to Dru, who clutched tightly as if he was afraid Leon might snatch it away again. Leon shook his head slightly, and turned back to Óskar. “You can have whatever bunk, I don’t mind. I was just sitting here.” He shrugged, one hand on the handle of his duffle bag.

  
“Um… it’s alright, I guess I’ll have the top bunk since you’re already down there. If that’s ok?” Óskar stammered, fumbling with the strap on his bag. Goddammit Óskar, way to be confident, he chided himself.

  
“Yeah, that’s like totally cool. I told you, I don’t mind.”

  
Óskar gave him a strained smile which was probably more like a grimace, and hurried towards the ladder so he’d no longer have to show his embarrassing face to his cabin mates. If only he could somehow interact with people without being his awkward self, he mused as he climbed onto the top bunk and set about unpacking. The first thing he saw when he unzipped his bag was of course Mr Puffin. The toy’s beak had been squashed when Óskar had stuffed him into the bag earlier, and he took a moment to try and straighten it out. ‘Sorry,’ he mouthed as the beady black eyes of the puffin glared back at him. He felt a little foolish for talking to a toy, and glanced around to see if anyone was looking at him. Fortunately, the only person who would be able to see him up here was Andris who had gone back to sitting atop the opposite ladder, and was occupied with talking to Leon.

  
“It’s just… being away from home for so long…” Andris mumbled into the fist he rested his chin on. “My brothers are here but… I don’t know, it’s a little nerve-racking.”

  
Leon sat forwards, and Óskar could see the top of his head as he looked down from the top bunk. “It’s alright, man. I get it, like it’s difficult to be away from familiar stuff. I think everyone feels a bit like that at first, don’t worry about it.”

  
“I’m not nervous,” Óskar blurted, then cringed when he realised how childish he sounded. He would have been better off saying something to reassure Andris. He longed to melt into his mattress and never be seen again by human eyes, but settled for pulling the duvet against his chest. “I mean… it’s nice to have your own space. Away from family, that is.”

  
“Tell me about it,” Leon groaned, leaning to the side as he looked up at Óskar. “Both of my half-brothers are here, and I’m so glad I’m not in a cabin with either of them. Like, they’re family but we kinda can’t stand each other, y’know?” He chuckled slightly. “You got any siblings?”

  
“Just my older brother. He’s at camp and… wow, the first time I haven’t shared a room with him,” Óskar realised. He was glad he was on the top bunk, because none of the others could see him take hold of Mr Puffin’s wing and run his thumb over the fuzzy fabric like he used to when he was little.

  
“Oh man,” Leon said. “I can’t imagine that. Dad put me in Arthur’s room once and it didn’t even last the weekend.”

  
“Brothers can be annoying,” Andris mused. “At least I won’t have to listen to Eduard talking about his blog all the time.”

  
“Yeah, see? It won’t be so bad,” Leon encouraged him, holding up his bottle of coke. “To having some time away from annoying older brothers.”

  
Andris paused in consideration, and after a moment moved his hand away from his face to show a tentative smile as he raised his own bottle. “I’ll drink to that.”

  
“Vlad isn’t annoying,” Dru protested, though he took a swig from his as well.

  
Óskar gazed down through the rim of his bottle, watching the bubbles float to the top and disappear, and slowly nodded. As he raised the bottle, he whispered to himself, too quietly for anyone else to hear, “to finally growing up.”

  
The four of them lazed on their respective beds, idly chatting and sipping their drinks for a while.  
When about a quarter of the liquid was left in Óskar’s bottle, Leon suddenly stood up. “Hey, weren’t we meant to be going to dinner at like, six?”

  
Óskar glanced at his watch, and saw that it was already three minutes past the hour. “Yeah, we need to be there.” He scrambled to untangle himself from his duvet and get down the ladder, unable to keep a twinge of anxiety out of his voice.

  
“It’s fine,” Leon reassured him. “We’re only like five minutes late, we can’t be the last ones there.”

  
It turned out that they could be, and when they exited the cabin they saw that the rest of the campers were crowded around the entrance of the dining hall. It would have been embarrassing enough to arrive later than everyone else if Dru hadn’t announced their presence by yelling “Vlad! Vlad! Vlad!” as he ran to an older boy wearing a red coat, who scooped him up in his arms and swung him around. All heads turned towards them, a few impatient campers glaring while Julius greeted them with a smile.

  
“Ah, there’s the last few stragglers. Don’t worry, I’ll let you to your dinner in a minute. I have grandkids, I know how much teenagers love their food!” His laughter was met with only the restless shuffling of shoes, and murmurs of kids waiting to get inside. “By now you’ll all have met your cabin mates, make sure you’re nice to each other because these are your family for the summer. As most of you know, I’m the camp director, Julius, but you can call me Grandpa!”

  
A boy with dark curly hair who faintly resembled Julius scrunched his nose in annoyance. “Are you fucking kidding me?” he breathed, unheard by anyone other than Óskar and a few other campers nearby who shot him weird looks.

  
“And these are the lovely camp counsellors who’ll be looking after you this summer!” Julius gestured to an array of red-clad people standing next to him. Their reactions ranged from an exuberant wave and enthusiastic smile at the campers, to raising a hand half-heartedly with a wistful glance towards the dining hall. Óskar could already tell which ones he’d get along with best. “Now then, activities will start on Monday. Tomorrow will be your only day without a wake-up call, so make the most of it. But keep in mind that breakfast will only be served until eleven. Lunch will be at one, as always, and we’ll have a barbeque in the evening!” The mention of food only exacerbated the grumbles of the campers, and Julius seemed to notice because he stepped aside with a twinkle in his eye. “The dining hall is open for business!” He announced, though the group didn’t wait until he’d finished his sentence to surge forwards.

  
Óskar found himself at the back of the line with Leon and Andris; Dru had managed to cut in further ahead as he clung to the red-coated boy who Óskar assumed the brother he’d mentioned earlier. He glanced at a menu by the door, which told him that pizza served for dinner on Saturdays and there was a barbeque every Sunday, while the rest of the week was filled with various pasta dishes and typical canteen food. When Óskar finally reached the counter, his stomach was rumbling quietly. He opted to have a slice of tuna and sweetcorn pizza – he would have preferred it if they served mackerel, but this would have to do – and after a moment of consideration added some curly fries and French fries. It was summer after all, and there were no parents to tell him what to eat.

  
As he walked over to one the end of a table with Leon and Andris, Óskar spotted his brother and Magnus with two other people. They looked to be quite a strange ensemble, one wearing a long coat and another a brightly patterned jumper in contrast to Magnus’ T-shirt and shorts, and Even’s short-sleeved collared shirt. Even caught his eye and waved him over, but Óskar shook his head, feeling a little proud of himself as he placed his tray on the table beside Leon. He was just taking a bite of his pizza when something thudded onto the table in front of him.

  
“Hei, lillebror,” Even said as he placed a spoon on top of the yogurt pot he’d just set down. “I got this for you; I don’t want you to just be eating unhealthy food.”

  
Óskar took in a sharp breath through his nose. Of course, just when he was finally away from adults telling him what to do, his older brother was to try and parent him. “I’m fine with what I have,” he murmured through gritted teeth.

  
“I’m just lookin’ out for you,” Even said with an airy tone, pushing the yogurt towards Óskar. “Like a good big brother should.”

  
Óskar’s cheeks flamed with embarrassment and anger. He didn’t want his new cabin mates to see him being treated like a child. “Even, would you just leave me alone?” he snapped suddenly, turning around in his chair to face him. “I’m not a little kid anymore, I don’t need my big brother to watch over me all the time.”

  
Even flinched as the scathing words washed over him, but his face remained impassive as he stared at his brother. “I see,” he said simply, and turned on his heel to walk away.

  
Óskar looked down again at his pizza, which suddenly didn’t seem as appetising anymore. He picked at the stringy cheese as he glared resentfully at the yogurt. Any pride he’d felt about growing up had vanished. He’d half expected Even to bite back with his own remark, but the cold, blank expression he’d received made him feel far worse than anything his brother could have said, and Óskar inwardly cursed himself for blowing up about something so irrational. They’d had plenty of arguments sparked by things much more petty than a pot of yogurt, but he’d never spoken to his brother like that before. He had never voice how annoying Even’s overbearing attitude was, and as soon as he had done he began to question whether it was really as irritating as he’d thought. Blinking furiously, Óskar folded his arms; every attempt of his to grow up ended in disaster, and each action he took in that pursuit was more childish than the last.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I've had to split this first bit in half again because it keeps getting longer than I mean it to, but there'll probably only be one more chapter set on day one. Even and Óskar's little argument about the yogurt was inspired by the Nordic meeting in volume 6. To be honest, I wasn't sure about including it at all, but I felt like it links this scene to the next one...


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